The Marshall County Tigerettes (5-7-2) have experienced its share of inconsistency during the 2016 soccer season, not having won more than two straight matches, but also not losing two games in a row.

Tuesday night at Lewisburg offered more of the same for the Tigerettes by following a 3-1 win over Columbia's Middle Tennessee Crusaders last week with a hard fought 2-0 loss to Middle Tennessee Christian School (8-5-3).

Frustrated coach

"I'm concerned about our lack of intensity and lack of heart," MCHS coach Mark Redferrin said. "We talked a halftime about goal kicks, free kicks, and punts by the goalie because we were something like 1-13 in getting the first touch on the ball in the first half. That's an indicator of your mental focus and/or your heart."

"And what frustrates me the most is we don't look like we're trying," Redferrin continued. "We are just watching the other team win our goal kicks, their goal kicks, whatever. I don't pay too much attention to the results, I just look at how we play and we just didn't play very well tonight. And we didn't show a lot of concern for playing well tonight and that's what is the most upsetting."

The loss overshadowed the stellar defensive play of goalie Hayley Porter, who finished with seven saves and multiple stops against an extremely active Cougar offense.

Shot after shot

Junior goalie Haley Porter sends one into the air after completing one of her seven saves on the night.

"Mentally (the amount of shots by MTCS) brutal and physically it's even more brutal," the junior goalkeeper stated. "But I always have the idea in my brain that no matter how many goals are shot on me I'm never going to give up."

As usual, the Tigerette defense, led by Sarah Johnson, Summer Garrett, Tai Hutton and Laken Cowser turned in a brilliant performance and gave the offense a chance to tie the game up until 15 minutes left in the contest, but the offense was a no show on Tuesday night as Marshall County failed to score a goal for the fifth time this season.

"I think it's mainly just about figuring out our teammates and kind of learning where they are going to be and developing character as an offensive group," junior Macy Smith said. "I think we have heart, it's just, it's a new year and we've been struggling to really work together the way we need to. So, I think we all have heart, we just need to come together and get this fixed."

Close early

The two teams played neck-and-neck throughout the first half with neither giving an inch and Porter sending back every Lady Cougar shot, but the Rutherford County squad finally broke through with just eight minutes left in the first half for the 1-0 lead.

The Tigerettes refused to get discouraged and remained on the cusp of a tie when a Lady Cougar corner kick from the right sideline made it through the Marshall County defensive formation with 15:45 left in the game for the decisive 2-0 edge.